CHRIS HALEK wanted to buy his wife a new car for her birthday today. But it will not arrive until after his birthday in February - months after he placed his order.

New wheels grind to a halt

CHRIS HALEK wanted to buy his wife a new car for her birthday today. But it will not arrive until after his birthday in February - months after he placed his order.

''I'm going to have a pretty hard time convincing her it's her present when it arrives three days after mine,'' Mr Halek said.

He ordered the Volkswagen Golf GTI in late May but was told only after negotiations with the dealer had been completed in late June that he faced a long delay.

He is not alone. Some buyers are waiting more than a year because of supply problems.

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan created significant problems for Japanese carmakers; many popular models were affected by factory shutdowns. Although most are operational again a significant backlog of vehicles is required.

With a two-month travel time for European cars, buyers can typically expect to wait up to five months for a special-order vehicle if nothing similar is available in the country.

Australia's relatively low-volume market, coupled with the need for right-hand-drive vehicles, means getting non-standard cars built in overseas factories can cause further delays.

The waiting is not limited to exotic cars such as Ferraris. Consumers wanting a Kia Sportage Platinum diesel face a four- to six-month wait. The Volkswagen Polo GTI reportedly has a 14- to 18-month waiting list.